Chemical Constituents Of The Root Of Camellia Oleifera Abel（Ⅱ）

As a cooking oil woody crop, Camellia oleifera C. Abel (Camellia family) is widelydistributed and cultivated in China, Japan and Southeast Asia, which covers a huge area ofapproximate4million hectare. The seeds are important oil material used extensively forproducing a kind of cooking oil, whose beneficial unsaturated fatty acids are comparable tothose of olive oil. The seeds were recorded to have the therapeutic effects on skin pruritus,eczema, burns and traumas as well when used externally after pounded. Modern chemicalstudies have led to the isolation of saponins, flavonoids, and tannins from the seeds or seedcake. Antioxidant, hepatoprotective and injury-protective activities have been reported forthese compounds by pharmacological investigations. Though the intensively research onthe seeds of C. oleifera Abel, the roots were rarely studied.The roots of C. oleifera Abel also have long been used as a traditional Chinese medicinefor the treatment of common cold, bovillae, ardent fever, urinary tract infection, nephritis,edema, unpeaceful quickening and threatened abortion. In order to illustrate its bioactivecomponents, we conducted a comprehensive phytochemical study on the roots of C.oleifera Abel. During our exploration, we investigated the EtOH extract of the roots ofCamellia oleifera, fifteen new triterpenoid saponins (1-15), as well as eleven knowntriterpenes, and four aromatic acids were obtained.This study laid the foundation of the study on Camellia triterpene saponins, laid the basisto improve the quality control standards of Camellia oleifera Abel and discuss the role ofcomponents of its pharmacodynamic, providing a scientific base for the full utilization of the source of fruit for pharmaceutical purpose.